Apparatus for loading containers



' June 8, 1943. H. L. HAHN 2,321,200

APPARATUS FOR LOADING CONTAINERS Filed Oct. 9, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fat INVENTOR HERBERT L. HAHN ATTORNEY June 8, 1943. 1 HAHN I 2,321,200

, APPARATUS FOR LOADING CONTAINERS Filed Oct. 9, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTO RN EY 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR )gAAJ-M/f ATTORNEY HERBERT L. HAHN H. L. HAHN Filed 001;. 9, 1939 "Nil 1 APPARATUS FOR LOADING CONTAINERS June 8, 1943.

Patented June 8, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,321,200 APPARATUS FOR LOADING CONTAINERS Herbert L. Hahn, Doylestown, Ohio Application October 9, 1939, Serial No. 298,582

1 Claim.

This invention relates to. apparatus for filling containers with fruit, vegetables, or the. like.

An object of the invention is to provide an efiicient, inexpensive and practical apparatus for filling containers with fruit, vegetable, or the like, without bruising the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character described which will accommodate containers of varying capacity.

These and other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a top plan View of the apparatus embodying the invention in raised, inoperative position.

Figure 2 is a front elevationof Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-section, taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 1, illustrating a crate positioned on the cradle for the filling operation.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross-section similarto Figure 3, but illustrating the position of the cradle when the crate is fully loaded.

Figure 5 is a vertical cross-section similar to Figure 3, illustrating the manner of adapting the apparatus for filling a container of relatively small size.

, Figure 6 is an elevational view, partly'broken away and in section, as viewed from the left of Figure 5, the cradle being shown in lowered or loaded position.

1 Referring to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, the numeral I0 designates a chute which may be of the usual channel shape, suitably supported to convey fruit, vegetables, or the like from a source of supply, such. as a fruit grader (not shown) to a point where they may be loaded into containers. A pair of oppositely disposed bafiles II, II, may extend angularly inwardly from the sides of the chute to provide a restricted opening l2 through which fruit, such as apples A, vegetables, or the like, may pass toward a container-supporting cradle l4 pivoted adjacent the opening 12.

Referring in particular to Figures 1 and 2, the cradle l4 may be formed with a pair of L-shaped members l5, I5, rigidly held in transversely spaced relation by means of a cross-bar l6 connected between the bottom legs l1, ll of members l5, and a pair of cross-bars l8, l8, connected between the front legs l9, l9 of the members IS. A bar 20 may extend diagonally between the front and bottom legs I! and ill at one side of the cradle to reinforce the same,

the other side beingleft open to facilitate placing a container," such as a crate,2l, uponlthe cradle M for a filling or loading operation, as shown in Figure 3. The ends of the legs I! are formed with eyelets 22, 22, for pivotally connecting the cradle M, as bymeans of pins or bolts 23, to brackets 24, 24, secured tothe under side of the chute I0 adjacent the discharge end thereof. The pivotal points of the. cradlelld preferably are located close tojthe lower edge of the chute, l0, sothatth'e inner" face-of the lowermost side of. the crate 2|, as viewedin Figure 3, will be substantially in line with the inner face of the chute without any substantial drop from the chute to the crate, ,the arrangement being such that the apples A willfroll smoothly down the side of the crate or over apples already in the, crate as the cradle I4 is progressively. lowered}, under the increasin weight of the apples, i

The cradle I4 may be yieldably heldgin the normal raised or inoperative position, shown in Figures 2 and 3, by means of, a tension spring 25 extended between. the top ofthe' cradle, at the closed end thereof,'-.and an .eyebolt' 26 adjustably received through an aperture {in a-suitable bracket 21 secured to thelside of chute Ill. The spring 25 preferably is secured to the eyebolt at a point at such a distance above-and not substantially rearwardly of pivot 23, so that the spring will function most effectively in all positions of the cradle. .B-y adjusting the nut 28 on eyebolt 26, tension ,on spring.25'm'ay. be modified to suit the size of the container tobe' filled, orto suitthe'type and sizeof thefruit to be packed in the container. f

A latch mechanism preferablyisprovided for stoppingand releasably .securi'ng'the cradle in the lowered or fully loaded position thereof, as shown in Figure 4. To this end, at the closed end of the cradle M a latch bar 29 may be pivoted at 30 to a supporting leg In of the chute I 0, this bar extending forwardly of the chute outlet and having a notch 3| on the under side thereof for engaging a pin 32, extending from the side of the cradle, as the latter is swung downwardly under a predetermined load. Latch bar 29, forwardly of notch 3|, may have an inclined extension 33, providing a cam surface 34 on the under side thereof for engagement by the pin 32 on its downward movement, whereby when cradle it reaches its lowermost or fully loaded position, pin 32 will have lifted the latch bar slightly, to allow it to become engaged in the notch thereby limiting further downward movement of the cradle. The extension 33 may have a curved handle at the outer free end thereof to facilitate releasing the latch after a loaded crate has been replaced by another empty crate to be filled. A stop-pin 35 may be provided on support Ill for limiting downward movement of latch bar 29. The lowermost limited position of the cradle may be varied by providing an additional hole 36 in the bar 29 for receiving pin 30, so that the notch 3| in latch 29 may be moved to the left as viewed in Figure 2, for example, to allow the cradle to swing on its pivot to a lower limit, as may be required for certain purposes,

The cross-bar l6 preferably is formed with a curved portion it for accommodating a ringpacking shell of known type used in packing round containers or baskets, as indicated in chain-dotted lines in Figure 4. A hooked bar i8 is fixed on inner cross-bar It! for retaining the base of the ring-packing shell in proper relation to the chute ID for a filling operation.

As illustrated in Figures and 6, the apparatus may be utilized for filling containers of varying sizes, smaller than the crate 2|, such as bushel, half bushel, and peck baskets. To this end, a pair of suitably spaced L-shaped bars 33, 38, coextensive with members l5 of the cradle, are secured between the bar l6 and inner bar l8. Each bar 38 may have a series of corresponding openings'39, 39, for removably securing a pair of supporting brackets'w, 40, as by means of thumbscrews 2!. The arrangement is such that by fastening the brackets 40 on the bars 33 as desired, baskets of relatively smaller size or capacity than the crate 2| may be filled with equal facility, the tension of spring 25, of course, being adjusted as required by means of eyebolt 2B.

In the operation of the apparatus for filling a crate 2| with apples A, while the cradle is in lowered position, the crate is placed with one side resting against the legs ll of the cradle and with the open end of the crate toward the discharge opening of chute ID, as shown in Figure 4. Next the latch 29 is released to permit the cradle to be yieldingly urged to raised position, shown in Fi ure 3, by spring 25. The apples A are then gradually fed from the chute in any suitable manner, at first to roll from the chute directly into and down the side of the crate, and then as the crate fills and lowers under the weight of the apples, to roll upon themselves, thereby progressively filling the crate, increasing load upon the cradle causing itto swing downwardly about its'pivot against the yielding action of spring 25. When the crate becomes sufliciently loaded, as predetermined by the adjusted tension on spring 25, the pin 32 upon the cradle engages cam surface 34 to lift latch 29, thereby allowing the pin to engage in notch 3! to limit further downward movement of the cradle. The filled crate may then be replaced by an empty one, and the latch again released by lifting extension 33 to allow the cradle to be urged to its raised position by spring 25. In a similar manner, the smaller types of baskets may be filled after first having secured the adjustable and removable brackets 40 on the bar 38 to suit, as described above, and after having adjusted the tension of the spring 25 in accordance with the maximum load of the filled container on the cradle.

It will be apparent that by the invention there has been provided simple, effective apparatus for filling containers with fruit, vegetables, or the like, without bruising the same.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

Apparatus for loading containers comprising the combination with the discharge end of a chute or conveyor of a frame or support of substantially L shape pivoted adjacent the discharge end of the conveyor, one arm of the L shaped support being arranged to support the side and the other arm of the L shaped support the bottom of a container for receiving articles from the conveyor, yielding means normally holding the L shaped support with the first named arm thereof substantially aligned with the discharge end of the conveyorbut sloping to a sufficient extent whereby articles discharged from the conveyor will roll into the container, said yielding means permitting the L shaped support to swing downwardly under the increasing load of articles rolling into the container until the L shaped support moves into a substantially vertical position in which the container will be filled with articles which have rolled therein from the conveyor, and a releasable latch and a pin mounted in the apparatus, one on the L shaped frame and the other intheapparatus in the path of each other as the frame lowers to its substantially vertical position with one arranged to ride on the other and both arranged finally yieldingly to engage each other so as to lock the frame in said substantially vertical position as it moves into said substantially vertical position, whereby a filled container may be removed from the frame and re-- placed by an empty container, said latch being releasable to permit the yielding means to return theframe to its initial position with the side supporting arm thereof substantially aligned with the conveyor. a

HERBERT L. HAHN. 

